Fleetwood to Get “Computerworld” Award

Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. will receive an award from Computerworld magazine during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Monday for its “Smart Coach” concept motorhome.
Fleetwood is a finalist in Computerworld’s Transportation category.
The Riverside, Calif.-based RV and manufactured home builder was nominated for a Computerworld Honors 21st Century Achievement Award by Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel Corp., the world’s largest computer chip manufacturer.
Although the RV industry is not considered a leader in technology, Fleetwood decided to undertake the Smart Coach project after hearing “feedback from focus groups and talking with owners, it became apparent that our target customers (seniors and Baby Boomers) were relying more and more and on technology in their daily lives,” the company states in its application for the Computerworld award.
So, Fleetwood used wireless technology and an integrated server to control the motorhome’s appliances, entertainment systems and electrical functions, along with Internet access for online banking, e-mail and browsing through a two-way Internet-access satellite system.
Designers from Fleetwood, Intel and network systems designer Echelon Corp. worked on the Smart Coach project.